[fish1050]

Just my 2 cents. Maybe it's OK taking the risk with $100 product without warranty from Ali, but when you are spending over $400 I would consider dealing with authorized distributor.

You took the words right out of my mouth, unfortunately it seems we are at the mercy of the countries distributors, in my case the lame duck Canadian distributor.

 

[Astrogoth]

How close to the M3s is the new M5s, sound wise? I mean if M5s is 10% better than I for one will save and get an M3s instead.

FYI, at 20% I'd get the M5s!

 

[fish1050]

I don't think Shanling have said that. If you buy your device in the US, warranty is restricted to the US. It's your responsibility to get the device to the US, you pay for shipping. The same goes if you buy it in Hong Kong, warranty is for Hong Kong only. You will have to travel to Hong Kong or ship it .

I think this goes for most manufacturers, at least for China/Hong Kong.

No that is not the case with most manufacturers, I sold this gear for many years. If the manufacturer is handling the warranty directly then unless the item comes with a North American warranty which is rare the warranty won't be covered. Larger manufacturers like Sony for example handle warranty claims themselves and will not honor the warranty on an exported item. I spoke directly with a Sony sales rep who confirmed this to me. In some cases the distributor handles the warranty claims and it is at their discretion as to whether or not to handle warranty claims for exported products and it often depends on what their profit margin is. If they are setup to handle the warranty claims they will pass the costs on. Typically charge the customer both ways for shipping. After all they did not make the product or get the actual final sale so why would they eat the costs involved in a warranty claim?

Musicteck being the seller and handling the warranty for Shanling then I can see them possibly covering it, especially since they seem to do alot international sales and would be set up to handle these exported product warranties. But if they are providing product to a third party (middle man/distributor) who is then selling the item I doubt they will provide that service. Why take the hassle when they don't get the actual final sale.

When importing any product I always confirm with the manufacturer 1) Who handles the warranty the manufacturer/distributor/seller? 2) Will it be covered under warranty by whomever is handling the warranty claims. 3) What is the process for handling warranty claims and what costs are involved for me. More often then not the answer to question 1 is NO/NO/and MAYBE (but usually NO). When I sold audio gear it was incredibly confusing answering questions about warranties as there were so many possible scenarios and often fine print depending on the manufacturer.

I did a warranty claim with Sony on my A17 purchased in Canada. I shipped it to Sony, they shipped me a replacement and I paid initial shipping and insurance to Sony. Sony paid for the return shipping, pretty standard stuff. Then I returned a Fiio E07K to a small dealer in Toronto under warranty and it would need to be returned to the distributor at my cost. The seller was a really nice guy and took the unit back provided I buy something else. He gave me a nice discount on an E11K for my troubles which is not typical. I bought a Cowon C2 from Canada Computers, it developed a battery issue under warranty but I had to ship the unit to China for repair. Total nightmare as I shipped it 2 times by fedex, both times Cowon did not pick it up from the depot and it was returned to me. I got charged for shipping both ways on the first attempt even though Cowon said they would pay the return shipping. The second attempt I forced them to pay shipping both ways, they agreed but it ended up being returned to me a second time without being repaired. Even with domestically purchased items warranty claims can be a massive pain and expense so I am not keen to experience a warranty claim for an imported product, certainly not for something that costs as much as the M5S.

With imported products it is a crap shoot as to what the process will be and what the costs involved will be. If the warranty claim is handled by a third party they will typically charge you for shipping both ways and jack up the return shipping to make a profit. If they charge you for shipping both ways and can make a profit on return shipping then it is actually profitable for them to handle warranty claims. One thing I learned is it is often cheaper for a manufacturer like Sony for example to simply give you a new unit vs trying to open and repair a defective one. Especially a sealed product like a DAP which can be damaged when you try to open it. One person I know bought a Sony ZX100 imported from China (won't mention the seller). The unit had a problem and it was returned to the seller who was handling the warranty claim. Many weeks later the unit was fixed and returned but they had to pay shipping both ways and the total cost was over $100.00 US for shipping for an under warranty repair. Real encounters like these make me very wary of importing anything costing more than a $100 or so. With so many DAP options if I can't find one domestically I want there are usually other options available.

Bottom line is the third party's providing the warranty coverage simply aren't going to eat the costs involved in a warranty claim. I mean why risk warranty claims eating into their revenues if they don't have to? Someone will bear the cost but it won't be them and they may even make some profit on the warranty claims they do handle so good for them but not the customer typically.

 

[vodanhkhack]

How close to the M3s is the new M5s, sound wise? I mean if M5s is 10% better than I for one will save and get an M3s instead.

FYI, at 20% I'd get the M5s!

I had a Shanling M3s and it was a very good DAP. Its sound is "organic", just a little bit warm. Sound stage is wide with detailed separations. To me, the M3s is much better than Cown Plenue D or a Walkman A series.
The new Shanling M5s just makes what are already good of M3s better. It offers more detailed and more "holographic" sound. You may say, 10% better than M3s. But to reach that 10% improvement is to reach a new level of high end sound instrument. It worths more than 100$ for the upgrade! Not to mention other new features and new design qualiity!

 

[Shanling]

I was told by Shanling that the Canadian distributor had not made any order, yet. And I was told by a store manager, who contacted the distributor, that they would not distribute it (not enough demand).

We might have to order it from the USA distributor:

https://shop.musicteck.com/

Our Canadian distributor is visiting us tomorrow, will discuss M5s and future models. We don't accept "not enough demand" as excuse to cherry pick only the best selling products.

Shanling, once again if you aren't going get your Canadian distributor to offer these DAP's in Canada then for god sake cover the US warranty in Canada. All you are doing is alienating potential customers like me and losing potential sales. If I can buy all the Fiio products in Canada then why not all the Shanling products? People aren't to know how good your products are if they can't get their hands on them!!!!!

For warranty, it's simple - fully covered by the seller. Bought from shop in USA? Contact them for warranty and be prepared to ship it back to USA. Same if you buy from China, Hong Kong or Malawi. Details on shipping, insurance, etc is up to the seller, so we always recommend to go with truly trusted sellers(good luck chasing AliExpress/Ebay seller after few months, maybe they don't exist anymore). Local distributor is in no way responsible to cover warranty over "grey import" units.

Canadian situation will be discussed, as stated above.

How close to the M3s is the new M5s, sound wise? I mean if M5s is 10% better than I for one will save and get an M3s instead.

FYI, at 20% I'd get the M5s!

I would say about 35.428%. Also it's running completely different system, with tons of added features.

 

[equalspeace]

I had a Shanling M3s and it was a very good DAP. Its sound is "organic", just a little bit warm. Sound stage is wide with detailed separations. To me, the M3s is much better than Cown Plenue D or a Walkman A series.
The new Shanling M5s just makes what are already good of M3s better. It offers more detailed and more "holographic" sound. You may say, 10% better than M3s. But to reach that 10% improvement is to reach a new level of high end sound instrument. It worths more than 100$ for the upgrade! Not to mention other new features and new design qualiity!

Would you say the sound on the M5s is fuller than the M3s?

 

[fish1050]

Our Canadian distributor is visiting us tomorrow, will discuss M5s and future models. We don't accept "not enough demand" as excuse to cherry pick only the best selling products.



For warranty, it's simple - fully covered by the seller. Bought from shop in USA? Contact them for warranty and be prepared to ship it back to USA. Same if you buy from China, Hong Kong or Malawi. Details on shipping, insurance, etc is up to the seller, so we always recommend to go with truly trusted sellers(good luck chasing AliExpress/Ebay seller after few months, maybe they don't exist anymore). Local distributor is in no way responsible to cover warranty over "grey import" units.

Canadian situation will be discussed, as stated above.



I would say about 35.428%. Also it's running completely different system, with tons of added features.

Glad to hear you will be talking to the Canadian distributor. Also thanks for clarification on warranty coverage. Still would much prefer to buy domestically, no hassles with exchange rates, and additional fees involved with importing. Not to mention longer wait times when you need warranty service in another country.

So can you clarify the warranty claim process through the dealer? I assume we would ship the unit to the seller who in turn sends it to Shanling, correct? Musicteck for example has no information on their site about warranty claims and the costs involved. Is the process uniform with all sellers or does it very seller to seller and country to country? It is all well and good to say we return it to the seller for a warranty claim but information on the process and costs incurred by the buyer would be helpful. It will help me decide whether to risk importing one of your products if I know the steps and costs involved. Any information would be appreciated.

 

[Shanling]

Glad to hear you will be talking to the Canadian distributor. Also thanks for clarification on warranty coverage. Still would much prefer to buy domestically, no hassles with exchange rates, and additional fees involved with importing. Not to mention longer wait times when you need warranty service in another country.

So can you clarify the warranty claim process through the dealer? I assume we would ship the unit to the seller who in turn sends it to Shanling, correct? Musicteck for example has no information on their site about warranty claims and the costs involved. Is the process uniform with all sellers or does it very seller to seller and country to country? It is all well and good to say we return it to the seller for a warranty claim but information on the process and costs incurred by the buyer would be helpful. It will help me decide whether to risk importing one of your products if I know the steps and costs involved. Any information would be appreciated.

Actual warranty procedure differs between distributors, being affected by their ability to repair some parts of player themselves, by the market, by the local laws. So it can differ from exchanging for brand new unit, to fixing it locally, to shipping it to China to have it fixed by us.
If you want to know more, ask the seller you are planning to buy from.

 

[vodanhkhack]

Would you say the sound on the M5s is fuller than the M3s?

Yes! Fuller and more dynamic.

 

[superuser1]

I am still looking for some answer regarding availability in India.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

I am still looking for some answer regarding availability in India.

Looks like the only dealer for India.
https://www.headphonezone.in/collections/shanling

 

[superuser1]

Looks like the only dealer for India.
https://www.headphonezone.in/collections/shanling

Yes they are very tight lipped about an availability date.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

Yes they are very tight lipped about an availability date.

They will carry it, only if it becomes popular. They started selling M0, only recently.
Also, be prepared to shell out their 100X conversion rate.

 

[superuser1]

They will carry it, only if it becomes popular. They started selling M0, only recently.
Also, be prepared to shell out their 100X conversion rate.

To be honest I kind of think their prices are decent.

 

[stephanemtl]

Our Canadian distributor is visiting us tomorrow, will discuss M5s and future models. We don't accept "not enough demand" as excuse to cherry pick only the best selling products.

Thank you! It is greatly appreciated.